The secret — and not-so-secret — lives of drag queen porn stars

Luke Kemmerle and Andrew Farrell have a lot in common. They are both 25; they’re both former high school cheerleaders and they both worship pop stars (Kermmerle rides for Rihanna; Farrell is a diehard Ariana Grande fan). They both are gay adult entertainers, together winning the 2017 Grabby Award for best group scene. Both of them are also emerging drag queens.

But where their identities diverge is their openness about that last point. Farrell aka Liam Riley (his porn name) aka Bambi Wadley (his drag name) is using his gay porn clout to bolster Bambi’s emergence on the drag scene. Whereas Luke aka Levi Karter (his porn name) aka Sassy Frass Meaner (his drag name) has kept the latter two identities apart and the fact that they are the same person a secret — until now.

“Porn has been my job and my career for over five years,” Kemmerle said in an interview. “And it’s like, if I don’t have it ... I don’t really have anything. I mean I do have Sassy but she’s not paying the bills. If anything, she’s making my credit card worse. So it is just nerve-wracking. I definitely don’t want to lose my job or what makes me able to be Sassy because that’s what at the end of the day makes me happy and fun and carefree.”

Luke Kemmerle aka Levi Karter aka Sassy FrassSource: Mic

The reason for this fear can easily be attributed to the tension between gay porn, a type of entertainment that favors hypermasculinity, and drag, an art form that celebrates hyperfemininity.

“There is a stigma against feminine men in porn,” Farrell said. “You know, as a feminine person, I’ve experienced it, I’ve felt it, not just in our community. I think in general to be a feminine man is looked down upon because people expect men to be macho, strong, not emotional and those are awful things, you know, and that’s just not who I am.”

Did CockyBoys, the gay adult studio that signed Kemmerle and Farrell as exclusive models, have any reservations about two of their biggest stars tucking their money-makers between their legs in favor of hip padding and eyeliner? The studio’s photographer admitted yes, initially.

Andrew Farrell aka Liam Riley aka Bambi WadleySource: Mic

“Growing up in the way I grew up, there was no room for that softness or that other side of masculinity,” CockyBoys photographer Rj Sebastian said in an interview. “But I think it’s a different world now, and most young people now, I don’t think they really like to be labeled. I think more and more people are seeing that as, you know, as normal.”

CockyBoys CEO Jake Jaxson didn’t seem to have any reservations about the possibility of losing subscribers or profits because Kemmerle and Farrell were drag queens.

“I think a lot of our true, genuine fans will be supportive,” he said. “We need to just throw your hat off and give someone a pat on the back for taking a risk and doing something different, having fun and, you know, if I make less money doing that, so be it.”